Seattle teachers hold rally at Franklin High School to protest class sizes

[liberal_at_heart]

During contract negotiations the school district wanted to add two more students to each class for the 4th - 12 th grades. The school district says it is due to space limitations, but the teachers say they need to come up with a different solution. Personally, I think the school district is trying to see how far they can push the boundaries of class size. They could bring in portables to accomodate a growing student body. If they can get away with increasing class sizes, I don't think there will be much effort to ever decrease it. It will just be yet another status quo. I am very proud of our Seattle teachers. First they protested the standardized testing by refusing to administer it and now they are standing up to class size increases. Thank you Seattle teachers.

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/08/seattle-teachers-union-protests-proposal-to-raise-class-sizes/

[liberal_at_heart]

1. okay given that today is my anniversary I cannot let this thread die without a kick.

[Igel]

2. Most administrators aren't evil.

It just seems that way.

They know that larger class size = more difficult classroom management = less engagement and learning. This shows up on test scores and the all-important achievement gap stats (since low SES students are less able, on average, to filter out distractions).

They're planning on putting up more schools and have already gotten a funding levy passed. That's the solution that you say they aren't planning.

This isn't an uncommon problem. Where my kid goes to school the elementary class size swelled because of budget cuts (fewer teachers) and population increases. Two new schools opened last fall and class size shrank. Class size at the high school he'll wind up going to is nearly at capacity, with a swarm of temp buildings, and it's going to get worse before the new high school opens in 2016. (They haven't even started building it yet. I think groundbreaking is this winter.)

[liberal_at_heart]

3. I don't trust them. Just because they have a funding levy approved doesn't mean that is

where the money will go. Why do they need to increase class sizes? Why can't they bring in portables? I'm done with the public school system until politicians are willing to properly fund it. My husband is starting a business and I am hoping next year my son will be in private school. I just don't know if I can stomach even one more year in the public school system. I may look into homeschooling until we can afford to put him in private school.

[KT2000]

4. hey - that was my high school!!

that's right - thank you Seattle teachers.